Governor Calls EMERGENCY Special Session to Force Vote

South Carolina’s Republican governor just dragged lawmakers back to Columbia in an emergency special session that could lock in a 7–0 conservative congressional delegation and finally put Jim Clyburn’s long-protected seat in play.

Story Snapshot

Gov. Henry McMaster ordered a special session so lawmakers can vote on a new congressional map after the regular session ended without action.
The key bill, H. 5683, aims to redraw all seven districts and shift the primary calendar, with critics warning of “gerrymandering” and chaos.
Media opponents say the proposal targets South Carolina’s lone majority-Black, Democrat-held district, currently represented by Jim Clyburn.^[1]
Supporters argue the map is lawful under recent Supreme Court rulings and could actually make some seats more competitive for Democrats.

McMaster’s Emergency Call Brings Lawmakers Back to Columbia

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has ordered the General Assembly back to Columbia for a special session focused on redrawing the state’s congressional map, just one day after the regular legislative calendar adjourned sine die.^[2] Reports describe the move as a sharp reversal from earlier signals that he would not force a redistricting showdown, but the failure of the Senate to act left the map in limbo.^[1]^[2] By law, the legislature draws congressional districts as a regular statute, subject to gubernatorial veto.

Because lawmakers did not complete a sine die resolution that fully shut the door on post-session business, McMaster could legally summon them back under his executive authority. The House was scheduled to gavel in at 11 a.m. to take up H. 5683, the main redistricting vehicle that had already cleared the House Judiciary Committee.^[2] That bill not only redraws district lines but also shifts congressional primaries to August 18 with runoffs on September 1 and briefly reopens candidate filing from June 1 through June 5.^[2]

H. 5683 Would Reshape All Seven Seats and Test Clyburn’s Stronghold

House Bill 5683 is written to revise the boundaries of all seven United States House districts in South Carolina, replacing the current map that leaves Democrats holding a single seat anchored in heavily Black communities. South Carolina Public Radio reported that the proposal would dismantle the state’s only Democratic district by splitting core population centers: Charleston would be divided into two districts while Richland County, home to Columbia, would be sliced into three. Democracy Docket framed the effort as eliminating the “lone majority-Black district.”^[1]

These changes would almost certainly put Representative Jim Clyburn’s long-standing seat at risk, though exact partisan effects cannot be fully verified without the underlying map files or shapefiles.^[1] Supporters of the bill contend that the redesign would actually make some districts more competitive rather than merely entrench Republicans, pointing to the possibility that Democrats could be viable in more than one seat under the new lines. However, no detailed neutral analysis of compactness, communities of interest, or racial vote strength is included in the public reporting to confirm or disprove those claims.^[1]

Trump Pressure, Senate Revolt, and Media Spin Around “Gerrymander” Claims

The run-up to this special session has already exposed deep tensions inside the Republican Party and a hostile media environment determined to frame the effort as a “Trump-backed gerrymander.” Democracy Docket reported that President Donald Trump and national Republicans pressed South Carolina leaders to move quickly on new maps, and South Carolina Public Radio openly described the earlier push as a “White House” effort.^[1] That branding guarantees that every step now will be portrayed as partisan, regardless of the legal merits.

On the Senate floor earlier this week, that pressure collided with institutional resistance. Senators voted 29–17 against including redistricting in the sine die resolution, effectively blocking consideration for the moment, with five Republicans joining Democrats in opposition. Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, a Republican, warned that the proposed map could backfire by making some districts more competitive for Democrats and by disrupting existing communities of interest. His comments, amplified by media outlets, are being used to argue that the plan is not universally embraced even inside the party.

Legal Landscape After Callais and Fears of Election Confusion

Supporters of H. 5683 insist the state is acting within its constitutional authority, especially after the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais narrowed how Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act applies to congressional maps.^[1] Massey has argued that South Carolina “does not have a Section 2 district” and that the proposed map is therefore not unconstitutional under that ruling. Republican lawmakers and legal allies describe the redraw as a lawful adjustment to updated federal standards, not a racial gerrymander.^[1]^[2]

Yes! No special racial set-aside seats!

South Carolina Gov. McMaster Calls EMERGENCY Special Session to Force Vote on 2026 Congressional Map — Move Set to Secure 7-0 GOP Stronghold and FLIP Jim Clyburn’s Seathttps://t.co/iQmvNjklZH

— Undergroundnotes (@Undergroundnot5) May 15, 2026

Opponents counter that the timing and design threaten both minority representation and election integrity. South Carolina Public Radio noted that more than eight thousand absentee ballots had already been sent to military and overseas voters, with a June 9 primary rapidly approaching, even as lawmakers discussed moving primaries to August and reopening filing windows. Critics warn this compressed schedule could create voter confusion, logistical headaches for county election officials, and fertile ground for litigation that might delay or derail the new map before November.